Cloud….it’s the hot new word in technology. But how can you tell when something is actually a cloud technology or offering, or if it’s just an old application with a fresh paint of cloud?

What is cloudwashing

Cloudwashing is when a company takes an existing offering and gives it a cloud label. The idea came from the term greenwashing – which is when marketers put the word green in front of everything (come on, can cleaning products that you use once and then throw away really be called green?). Now it seems like the same thing is happening with the term “cloud”.

If you are like me, you have seen advertisements for products and thought- well they are calling it cloud, but it just sounds like the internet. What makes this offering “cloud”?

It’s important that technologists – people like us who have been building, maintaining, and managing data centers – understand what cloud computing is, and what it’s going to take to move from our traditional understanding of data centers to virtualized data centers and finally to the cloud.

What’s a technologist to do?

One way to help us get up to speed on cloud is today’s announcement from EMC Education Services. There are 2 new Proven Professional certification tracks:

• EMCCA – EMC Cloud Architect

• EMCDCA – EMC Data Center Architect

The idea is that it’s going to take a team of architects to get organizations from where we are now to the cloud. First of all, there is a need for cloud architects – people who will create the designs for virtual and cloud environments. There is a also a need for data center architects, the folks with deep domain expertise in servers, storage, backup and recovery, data center networks, and security, to use and further develop their skills to move these domains into the virtual world (with an eye to moving them to the cloud).

These new certifications were designed the same way the EMCISA was designed. They are open, meaning it they aren’t focused on EMC technologies but on the underlying concepts for cloud and data center design. The EMCISA is a prerequisite for both of these new certifications. I guess now y’all know why I’m studying for it – I want the EMCCA certification!

Come let us know what you think about these new certifications over in the Proven Professional Community. And remember, its up to us to prevent cloudwashing!